Carrier system.



No.823,8'22, PATENTED JUNE 19, 1906. J. A. SUERTH. CARRIER SYSTEM.

' APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1905.

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' l CARRIER SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedJune 19,1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. SUERTH, a citizen of the United States, residingat Ohicago, in the county of Cook and'State ofIllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Carrier Systems, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exactdesoripti'on, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification. 7

My invention relates to carrier systems such as are used in store-service, and has for its object the provision of an improved sys- I tem of this character wherein and whereby the control and operation of the carriers may be very efiectively and easily accomplished.

- It is one of the objects of my invention to provide an improved agency for sending the carrier from a clerks or cashiers position to another position, and it is a further object of my invention to provide means whereby a clerk at one position may efiect thetravel of the carriage from another position to his position.

My invention is realized by the provision of electromagnetic apparatus at clerks positions and circuits'controlling the same, said electromagnetic apparatus serving to impel the carrier from one position to another.

There is a governing device at each clerks position serving to o erate the magnetic appa' ratus at that posit] on, and there is also preferably provided a similar governing device at f. i at least one position and desirably at each of 35' the communicating positions, whereby the clerk at one position may effect operation of the electromagnetic apparatus at the other position, so as to effectthe travel of the car- 1 T rier from said other position to the first position. The governing devices are preferably in the form of push keys or buttons-two for a positionwhich buttons cooperate with circuit connections, whereby the magnetic ap- T paratus at either of the communicating positions may be operated at either position for the purpose stated.

By means of my system' if a' salesman has sent the carrier to a cashiers position and should for. any reason desire the return of the carrier before the cashier may have opportunity to return it the salesmanwill press that one of the twobuttonsfthatiwill operate the magnetic apparatus at" the cashier s position to impel the carriage toward the salesmans position. The cashier desirably, though not necessarily, has similar control in the transmission of coin from a salesmans' counter to a cashiers desk, it is of course obvious that the invention is not to .be limited.

to such a utility, for the carrier may be employed for the purpose of transmitting other thingsthan money and the communicating positions may be other than those over by salesmen and cashiers.

reference to'the accompanying drawing,

showing the preferred embodiment thereof diagrammatically asap'plied to two communicating positions, though of course the inpresided Z I will explain my invention more fully by vention is not to be limited to any particular number of communicating positions.

' The carrier-wire a is suitably anchored at" The carrier 0 is of any convenient points 6?). suitable construction, that shown answering he purpose, wheels d being provided, between '1 which the wire a passes in such a way that th carrier rides upon the wire and is preventedfrom removal therefrom. The particular. carrier herein illustrated is one designed to carry money and for this purpose is provided with a box e. at the lower art thereof and which is formed in separab e sections, as is well understood. As stated, the invention is not to be limited toa money-carrier.

The electromagnetic apparatus at each poof a bell-crank lever 7c whenever the core is thus pulled to efiect the rotation of thebellcrank upon the pivot at its elb'ow,'whereby 'sition (there are two positions shown at the upper corners of the illustration) may include the long arm of the bell-crank will engage the' l frame of the carriage and give the same a gradual push rather than a sudden impulse, whereby the carrier is given sufiicient momentum to cause it to travel to the end of its route; The bell-crank levers may be providedwith catches 7d, that will serve to: en-i gage the framework of the carrier and to pre- 'vent the same from rebounding when striking the bell-crank toward which the carrier is sent, this hook being so constructed that after the bell-crank lever has swung a distance in propelling the carrier the catch will become disengaged from the carrier, so that the journey of the carrier may be continued. The switching mechanism Z 0 at each station is what I term the local switching device, because it controls the circuit of the solenoid or other electromagnetic device located at the same station with the switch Z 0. The switching devices m p are those .devices that enable a clerk at one position to close circuit through the winding h at another position, there being preferably two sets of switches m 19, though I do not wish to be limited to the number of these switches nor in all embodiments of my invention to the employment of any such switching devices in addition to the switching devices I 0.

Assuming a clerk at the left-hand position desires to move the carrier to the right-hand position, the switching device Z 0 at the lefthand station is operated, (assuming the carrier to be in the position indicated,) whereby circuit through the left-hand solenoid-winding-h is closed, as will be apparent by the connections illustrated, which circuit includes a battery 9 or other suitable source of current. If the clerk at the right-hand station should desire the carriage and the carriage then I should be in the position indicated, the

switching device m p at the right-hand station is operated, whereby circuit through the winding h at the left-hand station is closed to cause the carraige to move toward the righthand station. The clerk at the right-hand station may return the carriage to the lefthand station by operating the switching de-' vice 0 Z at the right-hand station; but if this clerk fails so to return the carriage the clerk at the lefthand station may cause its return to the left-hand station by manipulating the switching device m p at the left-hand station.

The circuit connections are clearly illus trated, and the manner in which the switching devices close circuit through the windings in h is clearly apparent. The parts Z m are provided with-contacts, as are the parts 0 The parts 0 p engage their contacts before the parts Zm engage their contacts. The contacts of the parts 0 p are connected with the common terminal of the resistances 1' r, the other terminals of said resistances being connected with terminals of the coils h. The purpose of this arrangement is to prevent injurious sparking between the portions Z m and their contacts upon release after the circuits of the solenoids have been completed, and they are again to be included open circuit.

It will be seen that 0 p engage their contacts before Z m engage their contacts, so

that on the releasev of a key the resistances r 1" remain included in series with windings h h, and the battery or other source of current before the circuit is finally opened after the breaking of the main operating-circuit.

It is obvious that many changes may be made in the apparatus herein shown and specifically described without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not,

therefore, wish to be limited to the precise apparatus and system indicated; but,

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the following:

1. A carrier system including the carriersupporting means, a carrier supported thereby, electromagnetic mechanism for imparting motion to the carrier, and suitable circuit and switching apparatus for governing the operation of the electromagnetic mechanism, the said magnetic apparatus including a bellcrank lever, one arm of which engages the carrier in efiecting its movement.

2. A carrier system including the carriersupporting means, a carrier supported thereby, electromagnetic mechanisms at communicating positions for imparting motion to the carrier, suitable circuit connections intervening between the positions, and switching apparatus whereby the magnetic mechanism at one position may have its operation effected at another position.

3. A carrier system including the carriersupporting means, a carrier supported thereby, electromagnetic mechanisms at communicating positions for imparting motion to the carrier, suitable circuit connectionsintervening between the positions and switching devices at the communicating positions whereby the magnetic mechanisms may be operated :at each position and a magnetic mechanism at one position may have its operation eiiected from another position.

4. A carrier system including the carriersupporting means, a carrier supported thereby, electromagnetic mechanisms at communicating positions for imparting motion to the carrier, suitable circuit connections intervening between the positions, and two switching devices at each of two communicating positions, one switching device at each position serving to operate the electromagnetic device at that position and the other switching device at each position serving to operate the electromagnetic device at the other position.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 3d day of August, A. D. 1905.

JOSEPH A. SUERTH.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM M. DAVIS, G. L. CRAGG. 

